Improvements in the accuracy of tracking using electro-optical sensors can be expected to result in improved performance. For example, in the field of homing missiles, inaccuracies in tracking reduce the accuracy and/or range of the missile, increasing the risk of the missile missing its target or necessitating later firing of the missile, potentially exposing the platform carrying the missile or its operator to danger for longer than would be the case if the accuracy were improved. In order to provide adequate tracking, the missile may need additional or more advanced image-processing equipment, resulting in increased cost, weight and development risk. However, there are typically limitations on the size and weight of homing missiles; also, missiles often travel at high velocity relative to their target, and so there is also only a limited time available for image-processing calculations. There are therefore, in many cases, significant limitations on the image-processing techniques that can be implemented within a missile. Several prior-art image processing techniques that provide high-quality images are slow and computationally demanding.
It would be advantageous to provide a method and apparatus for tracking an object in which the aforementioned disadvantages are reduced or at least ameliorated.